This invention relates to cartons and other paper board or like containers having integral carrying handles, and to blanks for forming such cartons and containers. The invention is particularly applicable to cartons having integral handles, suitable for use as wine casks but the invention is equally applicable to other cartons which have a need to be carried during use after purchase.
Australian Patent Application Nos. 518,142 (AU-B 56613/80) and 518,339 (AU-B 60051/80) disclose various cartons having integral handles suitable for use as wine casks. Application No. 518,339 relates to a carton in which the handle comprises an end portion of an outer closing flap and an overlying pressure sensitive adhesive tape secured to the end portion and to the sides of the carton to reinforce the handle structure.
While the above described handle construction has certain advantages over other proposals to provide handled cartons, the blank from which the carton is formed is not particularly economical and since the outer closing flaps overlap, the outermost closing flap, from which the handle is formed, is displaced from the inner closing flaps making it difficult to ensure that the closing flap is properly adhered to the inner closing flaps thereby reducing the strength and integrity of the finished carton. Furthermore, the different level created by the overlapping of the outer closing flaps tends to introduce a degree of instability into a vertical stack of such cartons. Similar criticisms apply to the handled carton described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,433, and the first criticism is applicable to the cartons described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,986,324 and 2,797,556.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved carton and blank construction in which the above problems are at least reduced.
The invention accordingly provides a carton having side walls and end closing flaps, said carton including at one end a pair of inner closing flaps and a pair of outer covering flaps, said outer covering flaps having their edges in substantially abutting relationship along a line extending substantially across the middle of the carton, said outer flaps each having portions adjacent their free edges which are at least substantially separable from said flaps, and a strip of reinforcing tape overlying said portions of said outer flaps and secured to the side walls of said carton to define with said portions a carrying handle for said carton.
By forming the portions or "handle strips" from the abutting edge portions of the outer flaps, the blank not only requires the use of less material but also forms a flat-topped carton and facilitates secure adherance of the outer flaps to the inner flaps where adhesive attachment is used.
If desired, either or both of the outer flaps may be formed with finger access opening(s), which need only comprise narrow slots adjacent the "handle strips", to facilitate better access to the "handle strips". However, even if such access openings are not provided, the strip may be rendered accessible by pushing down the adjacent portion of one of the outer flaps and inserting the fingers under the thus exposed "handle strips".
The "handle strips" may be formed in the outer flaps by perforating the flaps along lines parallel to their free edges or by severing the flaps along similar lines. Preferably a connecting portion is left adjacent at least one end of the outer flaps, and preferably adjacent each end of said outer flaps.
The invention also provides a carton blank comprising four side wall portions adapted to be connected to form a tubular carton of generally rectangular cross-section, closing flaps and covering flaps at either end of said blank, said flaps including at one end a pair of inner closing flaps and a pair of outer covering flaps, said outer covering flaps dimensioned so as to have their free edges in substantially abutting relationship in the carton when erected, said outer flaps being formed with means defining at least substantially separable portions adjacent each free edge and which define part of a handle structure in the erected carton.
The carton blank may be formed with any one or more of the preferred features of the above described carton.